This invention relates to an Insulation Displacement Connector, and in particular, to a connector having an improved retaining latch member design.
In a telephone network, a network cable from the central office is connected to a building entrance protector (BEP) located at the customer site, where the individual telephone lines are broken out line by line. The network cable, which consist of a plurality of tip-ring wire pairs that each represent a telephone line, is typically connected to a connector block that is an integral part of the BEP. Such connectors may be, for example, the ubiquitous 66-type punch down connector, or an SC 99 type connector block, such as are available from Lucent Technologies Inc., or the mini rocker tool-less insulation displacement (IDC) type connector, such as for example those sold by A. C. Egerton, Ltd. Other connectors used for telephony wiring applications are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,699 to Vachhani et al., dated May 5, 1987, and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,264 to Ellis, dated Oct. 5, 1971.
A mini-rocker connector generally has a movable top section which comprises two wire insertion holes and a lower fixed section which houses a pair of terminal strips. The terminal strips have a wire engaging portion at one end for engaging and making electrical contact with a wire. The terminal strips are generally parallel to one another but offset to provide a sufficient dielectric strength between them. In order to make the connector as small as possible, as a matter of design choice, the terminal strips are moved as close together as possible while maintaining good dielectric strength.
The top movable section of the connector pivots about a fixed axis located towards the back side of the connector. The top section has a movable latch member to maintain the top section in its closed position. To open the top section, a user releases the latch member and pivots the top section to its open position. When the top section is open, the terminal strips do not intersect the wire insertion holes, and when the top section is closed, the terminal strips intersect the wire insertion holes. In order to establish an electrical connection between the wires and the terminal strips a user first opens the top section, i.e., pivots the top section to its open position, inserts the pair of wires, and then closes the top section. Upon closing the top section of the connector, the wires are forced through the terminal strip engaging portion to make electrical and mechanical contact with the terminal strips. To remove the wires and/or break the electrical connection, the process is reversed.
The prior art connector latch member is a substantially flat square design. Technicians who manually unlatch a connector may accidentally also unlatch a neighboring connector. Such accidental opening often occurs because the soft tissue portion of the technician""s thumb may extend past the connector to be opened and cover part of the adjacent connector. That is, the prior art latch design does not adequately orient or position a technician""s thumb or other finger when the technician attempts to open the connector. The present invention is directed at overcoming shortcomings of the prior art connectors.
Generally speaking, in accordance with the instant invention, an improved connector latch member is provided. The latch member is formed generally as an inverted U-shaped member, and comprises atop crossbar member connected to two downwardly projecting arms or side members. Each of the side members of the latch comprise an engaging portion on the lower back side thereof for engaging a corresponding retention member on a downwardly facing section of the connector. To disengage the side member engaging portions, a technician generally grips and squeezes between thumb and forefinger the crossbar member and a finger grip portion on the back side of the connector top section. Upon squeezing, the crossbar member rotates slightly about a living hinge whereupon the engaging members are disengaged from the corresponding retention members, and the top section of the connector may then be pivoted upwards into its open position.
The two side members generally intersect the crossbar member at right angles. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when viewed from the front, the top outside corners of the latch member are rounded off. Further, when viewed from the front, the inside corners of the latch member are tapered such that the inside corners of the latch member, i.e., where the side members meet the crossbar member, are sloped rather than at right angles. Also, the crossbar member and side members are tapered inwards such that the inside edges of the latch are recessed from the outside edges of the latch. That is, when seen in front elevation the crossbar and side members form a trapezoidal shape. In a preferred embodiment, the trapezoidally sloped portion of the crossbar member has a recessed latch grip portion formed in it at the approximate center thereof. That is, the latch grip portion is a recess formed in the front face of the crossbar member, essentially centered between the two side members.
When so constructed, the connector of the present invention aids in orienting and positioning the soft tissue of a technician""s thumb on the connector latch member, providing positive tactile feedback and thereby reducing the likelihood of accidentally opening an adjacent connector. Also, when so constructed, the connector of the present invention increases the physical and visible separation between adjacent connectors.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings, which are not to scale, are designed solely for the purpose of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.